The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Southern Middle
Southern Middle School sits in Lusby, an unincorporated community in southern Calvert County that has seen steady commercial growth with several new shopping centers and a mix of suburban subdivisions. The local economy is shaped by major industrial facilities nearby, including Dominion Cove Point LNG and the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant. The school itself is one of the area’s public middle schools, serving grades six through eight as a regular public school within the Calvert County Public Schools district.
The student body is predominantly White, with a notable share of Black students and a smaller share of Hispanic students. A substantial portion of students come from lower-income households, as reflected in the school’s free and reduced-price meal program rate. The school has a relatively small enrollment for a middle school, with grade-level groups balanced across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show a mixed picture. In English language arts, the share of students scoring at or above proficiency was below half in each tested grade, with sixth graders posting the highest performance and seventh graders the lowest. Math proficiency rates were lower across the board, with eighth grade math posting a particularly small share of students meeting the bar. In science, tested in eighth grade, the share of students reaching proficiency was also low. Social studies results for eighth graders were somewhat higher but still showed a minority of students at the proficient level. The district comparison is limited because Southern Middle is the only middle school in the Calvert County district for which the data allows a district-level comparison, so no meaningful peer ranking was possible.
Because the school serves only grades six through eight, there is no graduation rate or high school outcome data to report. That is typical for a middle school and not an indicator of any deficiency. Civil rights data on discipline, staffing, and special populations such as students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the provided information, so a parent may want to inquire directly with the school about these areas.
The school is located on H G Trueman Road in Lusby, near the main highway corridor that connects to Patuxent River Naval Air Station to the south and the Washington, D.C., area to the north. Lusby’s public schools, including Patuxent High School, Mill Creek Middle School, and two elementary schools, are all within the community rather than on isolated campuses. The area has seen road improvements to manage growing traffic from the large Chesapeake Ranch Estates and Drum Point residential communities.
Housing in the Lusby area is priced close to the national median home value, with rents somewhat above what a typical household can comfortably afford. The county’s housing market has been gradually appreciating. No recent district-level changes, such as budget adjustments, curriculum shifts, or boundary changes, were surfaced in available public records for Calvert County Public Schools.
For a parent considering this school, the test results suggest students face significant challenges in math and science, while literacy outcomes are more mixed. The school serves a population with a meaningful proportion of students from lower-income backgrounds, and Lusby offers a growing but car-dependent suburban setting with new commercial amenities nearby. Families would likely want to ask the school about targeted support programs, special education services, and enrichment opportunities to get a fuller picture of what Southern Middle provides beyond the state testing data.
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